Photographer: Neil from Santiago, Chile Lascar erupting in 2006 Wikipedia.org .......... Volcano Eruption Chile Antofagasta Region, [Lascar Volcano] Damage level Details .......... Volcano Eruption in Chile on Friday, 30 October, 2015 at 17:28 (05:28 PM) UTC. Description Lascar, in the northern Andes of Chile, erupted unexpectedly today, producing a small plume of light grey ash that reached 2.5 kilometers (~8,200 feet) above the volcano. The fact that there seemed to be little in the way of precursory activity (earthquakes, increased gas emissions) from Lascar suggests that this blast may have been a phreatic explosion driven by water flashing to steam in the volcano's summit crater or conduit. Due to this minor eruption, the SERNAGEOMIN has raised the alert status at Lascar to Yellow, although the volcano is in a fairly remote part of the Chilean Andes-the Global Volcanism Program reports only ~8,100 people living within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Lascar. It has been over 2 years since Lascar last did anything and its last major eruption of Lascar was in 2005. However, it has produced some spectacular eruptions in the recent past, including the 1993 eruption that was a VEI 4. As with any of these small blasts, volcanologists will watch Lascar to see if this is a sign that it is awakening or merely a blip. Based on images on the Lascar webcam, the eruption appears to have waned rapidly. .......... WIRED Erik Klemetti Science Date of Publication: 10.30.15. 10.30.15 Time of Publication: 9:33 am. 9:33 am An Unexpected Eruption From Chile’s Lascar Volcano The light grey, ash-rich plume from Chile's Lascar during its minor October 30, 2015 eruption.Click to Open Overlay Gallery The light grey, ash-rich plume from Chile’s Lascar during its minor October 30, 2015 eruption. SERNAGEOMIN webcam Lascar, in the northern Andes of Chile, erupted unexpectedly today, producing a small plume of light grey ash that reached 2.5 kilometers (~8,200 feet) above the volcano (see above). The fact that there seemed to be little in the way of precursory activity (earthquakes, increased gas emissions) from Lascar suggests that this blast may have been a phreatic explosion driven by water flashing to steam in the volcano’s summit crater or conduit. Due to this minor eruption, the SERNAGEOMIN has raised the alert status at Lascar to Yellow, although the volcano is in a fairly remote part of the Chilean Andes—the Global Volcanism Program reports only ~8,100 people living within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Lascar. Read More Here .......... ..........

 Photographer: Neil from Santiago, Chile

Lascar erupting in 2006     Wikipedia.org
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Volcano Eruption

Chile

Antofagasta Region, [Lascar Volcano]

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Volcano Eruption in Chile on Friday, 30 October, 2015 at 17:28 (05:28 PM) UTC.

Description Lascar, in the northern Andes of Chile, erupted unexpectedly today, producing a small plume of light grey ash that reached 2.5 kilometers (~8,200 feet) above the volcano. The fact that there seemed to be little in the way of precursory activity (earthquakes, increased gas emissions) from Lascar suggests that this blast may have been a phreatic explosion driven by water flashing to steam in the volcano's summit crater or conduit. Due to this minor eruption, the SERNAGEOMIN has raised the alert status at Lascar to Yellow, although the volcano is in a fairly remote part of the Chilean Andes-the Global Volcanism Program reports only ~8,100 people living within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Lascar. It has been over 2 years since Lascar last did anything and its last major eruption of Lascar was in 2005. However, it has produced some spectacular eruptions in the recent past, including the 1993 eruption that was a VEI 4. As with any of these small blasts, volcanologists will watch Lascar to see if this is a sign that it is awakening or merely a blip. Based on images on the Lascar webcam, the eruption appears to have waned rapidly.

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WIRED

• Erik Klemetti Science
• Date of Publication: 10.30.15. 10.30.15
• Time of Publication: 9:33 am. 9:33 am

An Unexpected Eruption From Chile’s Lascar Volcano

Click to Open Overlay Gallery

The light grey, ash-rich plume from Chile’s Lascar during its minor October 30, 2015 eruption. SERNAGEOMIN webcam

Lascar, in the northern Andes of Chile, erupted unexpectedly today, producing a small plume of light grey ash that reached 2.5 kilometers (~8,200 feet) above the volcano (see above). The fact that there seemed to be little in the way of precursory activity (earthquakes, increased gas emissions) from Lascar suggests that this blast may have been a phreatic explosion driven by water flashing to steam in the volcano’s summit crater or conduit.

Due to this minor eruption, the SERNAGEOMIN has raised the alert status at Lascar to Yellow, although the volcano is in a fairly remote part of the Chilean Andes—the Global Volcanism Program reports only ~8,100 people living within 100 kilometers (62 miles) of Lascar.




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HAZMAT - State of California, Palo Alto [El Camino Real]

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HAZMAT

USA

State of California, Palo Alto [El Camino Real]

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HAZMAT in USA on Friday, 30 October, 2015 at 11:43 (11:43 AM) UTC.

Description An "unknown odor" that caused respiratory irritation for several guests prompted a hazardous materials response at the Westin hotel Thursday night, according to the Palo Alto Fire Department. The odor, which appeared to emanate from an underground garage area, was first reported to authorities at 9:09 p.m. at the hotel on El Camino Real east of University Avenue. Fire officials said a dozen people were "decontaminated and transported" to the emergency rooms at Stanford Hospital and El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. None of the ailments appear to be serious or life-threatening. Other hotel guests were ordered to shelter in place as a precaution. Palo Alto Deputy Fire Chief Catherine Capriles said the source of the odor was not immediately clear after an initial foray into the garage by hazmat crews from Palo Alto Fire and the Mountain View Fire Department. She said pool cleaning equipment was found, but intact and unlikely the source. After a second search still did not find a culprit, the hazmat crews dispersed. While the source of the odor was not known, as of midnight Friday, officials were confident that it had "vented and dissipated" and posed no additional risk.

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Palo Alto: 12 at Westin hotel sickened by 'unknown odor,' cause still a mystery

By Robert Salonga

rsalonga@mercurynews.com

Posted:   10/29/2015 10:54:21 PM PDT   Updated:   about 11 hours ago

 

Palo Alto firefighters responded to a report of hazmat situation at the Westin Palo Alto Oct. 29, 2015 in Palo Alto, Calif. (KGO-TV )

PALO ALTO -- An "unknown odor" that caused respiratory irritation for 12 people prompted a hazardous materials response at the Westin hotel, according to the Palo Alto Fire Department.

 

 

The chemical odor, which appeared to emanate from an underground garage area, was first reported to authorities at 9:09 p.m. Thursday at the hotel on El Camino Real east of University Avenue.

 

 

Fire officials said a dozen people were "decontaminated and transported" to the emergency rooms at Stanford Hospital and El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. None of the ailments appeared to be serious or life threatening.

 

 

Other hotel guests were ordered to shelter in place as a precaution.

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Biological Hazard - Bulgaria, Province of Kyustendil, Rila : Brucellosis (Animal)

WHAT IS BRUCELLOSIS?

Brucellosis is a contagious disease of both humans and animals caused by bacteria (invisible to the naked eye) of the genus Brucella which causes extensive economic damage to cattle breeding but is also a significant health issue as more than 50.000 people contract brucellosis world-wide.

Vet,gov.ba
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Biological Hazard

Bulgaria

Province of Kyustendil, Rila

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Biological Hazard in Bulgaria on Thursday, 29 October, 2015 at 04:05 (04:05 AM) UTC.

Description 15 animals have been tested positive for brucellosis in the region of Rila town, the press centre of the District Administration - Kyustendil, announced. On September 13 began the second serological examinations of all small ruminants, cattle and equine which were tested negative in the first serological examinations in the infected villages. On October 20 were retested a total of 2,790 goats, sheep, buffalo, cattle and equine. 11 goats of them and three sheep from farms in the town of Rila, as well as one goat in Smochevo village were tested positive for brucellosis disease. Biohazard name: Brucellosis Biohazard level: 3/4 High Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level. Symptoms:   Status: confirmed

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1. 15 animals tested positive for brucellosis in Bulgaria’s Rila

   Focus Information Agency · 2 days ago

   15 animals have been tested positive for brucellosis in the region of Rila town, the press centre of the ... Rila. 15 animals have been tested positive for ...

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Biological Hazard - State of Wyoming, [Laramie County] : Pneumonic plague found in housecat

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Biological Hazard

USA

State of Wyoming, [Laramie County]

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Biological Hazard in USA on Thursday, 29 October, 2015 at 04:14 (04:14 AM) UTC.

Description A housecat has been diagnosed with pneumonic plague in rural western Laramie County. Over a dozen individuals who came into contact with the cat are currently being assessed by the Wyoming Department of Health to determine if they need to receive antibiotics. Plague is a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly if not treated promptly with antibiotics. The pneumonic form of plague can be easily transmitted from a coughing cat or other animal to a human. Humans can then breathe in the bacteria and develop pneumonic plague as well. Although health officials believe this is thought to be an isolated case, plague has been present in the area before with animal cases in 2005 and 2008 and is believed to be endemic in Wyoming wildlife. Biohazard name: Plague (pneumonic, cat ) Biohazard level: 4/4 Hazardous Biohazard desc.: Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release. Symptoms:   Status: confirmed

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Local News 8

Pneumonic plague found in Laramie County cat

 

POSTED: 10:24 AM MDT Oct 29, 2015 

GNU image/MGN Online

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A housecat has been diagnosed with pneumonic plague in rural western Laramie County.
Over a dozen individuals who came into contact with the cat are currently being assessed by the Wyoming Department of Health to determine if they need to receive antibiotics.

Read More Here
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Animal plague found in Laramie County

Posted: Wed 3:27 PM, Oct 28, 2015

 

LARAMIE COUNTY - A housecat has been diagnosed with pneumonic (the lung form) of plague in rural western Laramie County.

Plague, known as the Black Death during medieval times, is a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly if not treated promptly with antibiotics. The pneumonic form of plague can be easily transmitted from a coughing cat or other animal to a human. Humans can then breathe in the bacteria and develop pneumonic plague as well.

On October 26, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) notified Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department (CLCHD) of a plague positive housecat submitted to the Wyoming State Veterinary Lab on October 21.



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Storm Surge - State of Hawaii, [Statewide]

Big waves hit Hawaiian Islands' north shores, California

Caleb Jones | Posted: Wednesday, October 28, 2015 10:35 pm

A surfer watches as a wave breaks at Waimea Bay Beach Park on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. The north shores of all the Hawaiian Islands were under a high surf warning on Wednesday, with forecasters expecting 25- to 30-foot waves to mark the start of Hawaii's big-wave season. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Winston-Salem Journal
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Storm Surge

USA

State of Hawaii, [Statewide]

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Storm Surge in USA on Thursday, 29 October, 2015 at 04:29 (04:29 AM) UTC.

Description The north shores of all of the Hawaiian Islands are under a high surf warning, and forecasters expect 25- to 30-foot waves, marking the start of Hawaii's big-wave season. The swells hitting both Hawaii and California are probably connected to the same low-pressure weather system in the Pacific Ocean, said Derek Wroe, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "We get our biggest waves in the wintertime, and we're leading up to that," Wroe said. Officials on Hawaii's Big Island closed six beaches because of dangerous surf conditions, and one beach on Maui was closed after waves flooded the parking lot. Wroe warned spectators to keep a distance from the waves because what seems safe could become deadly in a short time. "There's a whole host of dangers that come with these waves," he said. On Oahu, a man believed to be in his 50s died late Tuesday when he and two other fishermen were apparently swept out to sea by a large wave, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

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SFGATE

An earthmover creates a sand berm between oceanfront homes and the water in Seal Beach, Calif., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. There have been no reports so far of coastal flooding as high tides and an arriving swell from a Pacific storm produced big surf along the central and Southern California coast. Waves between 3 and 6 feet pounded some areas where morning high tides were about 7 feet on Wednesday, National Weather Service forecaster Scott Sukop said.

HONOLULU (AP) — The latest on the big surf that's hitting Hawaii and California (all times local):
10:45 a.m.
The north shores of all of the Hawaiian Islands are under a high surf warning, and forecasters expect 25- to 30-foot waves.
Meteorologist Derek Wroe of the National Weather Service says it's the start of Hawaii's big-wave season.
He says the swells hitting both Hawaii and California are probably connected to the same low-pressure weather system in the Pacific Ocean.


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Biological Hazard - South Korea, Capital City, Seoul [Konkuk University,Neungdong-ro] : Q Fever

Students look at instructions in front of a makeshift clinic at Konkuk University in Seoul on Thursday.

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Biological Hazard

South Korea

Capital City, Seoul [Konkuk University,Neungdong-ro]

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Biological Hazard in South Korea on Thursday, 29 October, 2015 at 04:39 (04:39 AM) UTC.

Description A mysterious virus has infected 21 graduate students at Konkuk University's school of veterinary science in Seoul. Health authorities have placed all 21 in quarantine and closed off the school building. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said the victims started coming down with pneumonia last week, and a team of epidemiologists have been dispatched to the university. According to the KCDC, those infected are master's and doctoral candidates who used the school's lab from Oct. 19 to 28. They are being treated in isolation at state-run hospitals. The first four graduate students who showed symptoms were hospitalized at Konkuk University Medical Center and then transferred to the National Medical Center on Wednesday. All of them visited a cattle fair in Gyeonggi Province last week as well as an animal farm owned by the university in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province. A university official said they may have contracted Brucellosis, which infects cattle and can be transmitted to humans. But some experts suspect Q fever, caused by the Coxiella burnetii bacteria found in the droppings of cattle, swine and sheep. It causes airborne infections among humans. Symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle aches appear after a two-week gestation period. But Song Dae-sup at Korea University said, "Brucellosis and Q fever are not commonly found in Korea and are rarely passed on to humans. We need to look at the possibility of pneumonia caused by germs or other toxic agents." Lee Jae-gap at Hallym University Medical Center said since only the four visited the animal farm, the infection could be mycoplasma pneumonia or whooping cough, which sometimes occur in schools or communities. Konkuk University sealed off the veterinary school building and told the school's 850 staff and students to report any suspicious symptoms. The building was thoroughly disinfected on Wednesday morning as well, according to school officials. Biohazard name: Q Fever Biohazard level: 3/4 Hight Biohazard desc.: Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level. Symptoms: Status: suspected

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 Mystery Virus Sweeps Konkuk University

A mysterious virus has infected 21 graduate students at Konkuk University's school of veterinary science in Seoul.

Health authorities have placed all 21 in quarantine and closed off the school building. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said the victims started coming down with pneumonia last week, and a team of epidemiologists have been dispatched to the university.

According to the KCDC, those infected are master's and doctoral candidates who used the school's lab from Oct. 19 to 28. They are being treated in isolation at state-run hospitals.

The first four graduate students who showed symptoms were hospitalized at Konkuk University Medical Center and then transferred to the National Medical Center on Wednesday. All of them visited a cattle fair in Gyeonggi Province last week as well as an animal farm owned by the university in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province.

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10 More Catch Mystery Infection at Konkuk University

Ten more graduate students have come down with a mysterious pneumonia attack at Konkuk University's Seoul campus on Thursday, bringing the total to 31.

Twenty-one people were diagnosed with the same symptoms earlier. But all have so far tested negative for a dozen well-known infectious diseases.

"We're still trying to figure out the cause," a spokesman for the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

 Students look at instructions in front of a makeshift clinic at Konkuk University in Seoul on Thursday.

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Asia earthquake death toll reaches 350... forcing the Taliban to call a truce to allow aid workers to treat the injured

By Simon Tomlinson for MailOnline

 

Published: 07:37 EST, 27 October 2015 | Updated: 14:39 EST, 27 October 2015 

 

Agony: A boy who was injured in the 7.5 magnitude earthquake receives medical treatment at a hospital in Peshawar, Pakistan

The Taliban today called a truce to allow aid agencies to push ahead with emergency relief after a massive quake hit Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing more than 350 people.

The toll was expected to rise as search teams reach remote areas that were cut off by yesterday's 7.5-magnitude quake, which triggered landslides and stampedes as it toppled buildings and severed communication lines.

Relief operations to assess the damage have been hindered by an unstable security situation that has left much of the affected areas unsafe for international aid workers and government troops.

But the Taliban, which have stepped up their Islamist insurgency against the Western-backed government in Kabul this year, indicated they would not stand in the way of aid efforts.

 

A man and his son clear rubble from their house after it was damaged by an earthquake in Behsud district of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

Read More Here

7.5-magnitude quake was centered deep beneath the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan, hundreds killed. Rescue efforts expand to neighboring Pakistan

 

 

 Boston Herald

Rescue work expands in quake-hit Pakistan, Afghanistan

Associated Press Tuesday, October 27, 2015

 

 

Photo by: The Associated Press

Patients who were shifted outdoors at the government medical college hospital after a strong tremor was felt in Jammu, India, Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. A strong earthquake in northern Afghanistan was felt across much of South Asia on Monday, shaking buildings from Kabul to Delhi and cutting power and communications in some areas. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

KABUL, Afghanistan — Authorities in Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan intensified rescue and relief operations Tuesday in rugged, earthquake-affected areas as the death toll rose to at least 270.
Monday's 7.5-magnitude quake was centered deep beneath the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan's sparsely populated Badakhshan province, which borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Pakistani government official Amir Afaq said Tuesday that civil and military authorities had reached the remote, impoverished areas in the country's northwest to help the quake victims. "We are transporting tents, medicines and other items to quake-hit areas," he said. The quake damaged nearly 2,000 homes in the area, he said.

Troops and military doctors had reached the quake zone and were engaged in rescue work, Pakistani army spokesman Lt. Gen. Asil Saleem Bajwa said.

The quake shook buildings in the Afghan capital of Kabul early Monday afternoon for up to 45 seconds, creating cracks in walls and shutting down power. Frightened workers who had just returned from lunch break rushed out of swaying buildings in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad and the Indian capital of New Delhi.

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8 earthquakes in map area

1. M 4.1 - 40km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 23:35:20 UTC 207.3 km

2. M 4.5 - 42km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 16:47:21 UTC 199.7 km

3. M 4.1 - 40km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 15:47:27 UTC 207.9 km

4. M 4.1 - 49km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 15:39:10 UTC 208.1 km

5. M 4.7 - 45km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 11:16:16 UTC 199.0 km

6. M 4.4 - 44km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 11:14:42 UTC 216.3 km

7. M 4.8 - 42km E of Farkhar, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 09:49:38 UTC 198.2 km

8. M 7.5 - 45km N of `Alaqahdari-ye Kiran wa Munjan, Afghanistan

   2015-10-26 09:09:32 UTC 212.5 km

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By the end of the century parts of the Persian Gulf will sometimes be just too hot for the human body to tolerate, a new study says.

An intolerable unimaginable heat forecast for Persian Gulf

By SETH BORENSTEIN

 

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FILE In this June 10, 2010 file photo, an Asian laborer avoids the direct sun by working behind a wooden sign, as he works on a manhole alongside of an under construction road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Parts of the Persian Gulf by the end of the century will on occasion will be just too hot for the human body to tolerate, if carbon dioxide emissions continue on current trend, a new study says. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — If carbon dioxide emissions continue at their current pace, by the end of century parts of the Persian Gulf will sometimes be just too hot for the human body to tolerate, a new study says. 

How hot? The heat index — which combines heat and humidity — may hit 165 to 170 degrees (74 to 77 Celsius) for at least six hours, according to numerous computer simulations in the new study. That's so hot that the human body can't get rid of heat. The elderly and ill are hurt most by current heat waves, but the future is expected to be so hot that healthy, fit people would be endangered, health experts say.

"You can go to a wet sauna and put the temperature up to 35 (Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit) or so. You can bear it for a while, now think of that at an extended exposure" of six or more hours, said study co-author Elfatih Eltahir, an MIT environmental engineering professor.

While humans have been around, Earth has not seen that type of prolonged, oppressive combination of heat and humidity, Eltahir said. But with the unique geography and climate of the Persian Gulf and increased warming projected if heat-trapping gas emissions continue to rise at current rates, it will happen every decade or so by the end of the century, according to the study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Read More Here

Tropical Downpours to Target Midwest, Eastern US This Week

 

msn 

 

© Provided by AccuWeather

 

 

Tropical moisture is set to stream across the Midwest and Eastern U.S. next week, leading to the most significant rainfall in a few weeks for many communities.

A large part of the Midwest and East has not experienced soaking rain since the start of October. That will change during the final days of October as tropical moisture enters the picture.

The exception to the lack of rain is the Carolinas where historic flooding ensued early in the month and additional rain about a week later led to more issues.

"[The ingredients in place next week] will be an upper-level storm system that is potent, a strong cold front and a connection with tropical moisture," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Dombek said.

That moisture will be associated with the system that formed along the Texas coast Saturday night.
As the moisture is fed northward, the result will be rain spreading northward from the Deep South to the Midwest and East during late in the week. The rain will move in a general southwest-to-northeast fashion through Wednesday.

Cities in line for the rain next week include St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City. Eventually, the rain will also spread to Boston and Portland, Maine.

If enough cold air can be drawn into the backside of the storm, snow may also return to the Upper Midwest and northern Appalachians.

Read More Here

Arctic birds showing up in Wisconsin

Snowy owls fly south for the fall

By Paul A. Smith of the Journal Sentinel

Oct. 21, 2015

 

A snowy owl rests on a car in the Kohler Corporation parking lot Tuesday morning.

Snowy owls, the big, white birds that nest in the Arctic and sometimes fly south in the fall and winter, have begun showing up in Wisconsin over the last week, captivating wildlife watchers and raising questions among scientists.

About 30 snowy sightings were reported through Wednesday in Wisconsin, according to Ryan Brady, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources who oversees the Wisconsin eBird website.

The reports are earlier in the season and higher in number than any year on record.
"It's unprecedented," said Tom Erdman, curator of the Richter Museum of Natural History at UW-Green Bay who began conducting snowy owl research in Wisconsin in the late 1950s. "It's causing us to ask 'Why?"

The first snowy of the season was sighted Oct. 15 near Ashland in Bayfield County on Lake Superior. The next day one was seen in Crawford County in southwestern Wisconsin. On Tuesday lone snowies were reported in Kohler and Milwaukee.

And on Cat Island in Green Bay earlier this week, six snowies were seen at once, Erdman said.
Last year, the first snowy was reported in Wisconsin on Nov. 1. In 2013, the initial observation was Nov. 15.

In recent decades, the first snowies have typically appeared in Wisconsin in mid-November, Brady said.

"This year is completely taking people by surprise," Brady said.
So far this fall, snowy owls have been reported in the western Great Lakes region, but none in the eastern U.S.

Read More Here

Sinkhole swallows car amid Sicily downpour

 
  

The sinkhole opened up on a road near Catania. Photo: Vigili del Fuoco

Published: 22 Oct 2015 10:27 GMT+02:00

A parked car was swallowed up by a sinkhole that suddenly opened up on a road in Sicily after heavy rain on Wednesday evening.

The car plunged five metres through the eight-metre wide hole on a road in Valverde, in the province of Catania. The female driver made a miraculous escape having just parked the vehicle before the hole opened up, Corriere reported. It was then hauled out by firefighters with a crane. The scene was captured on the video below.
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Heavy rain has swept across Sicily over the past couple of days, with the Catania area faring the worst.



 Read More Here

Heavy rain and hail in West Texas. Floats some travel trailers, mobile home from RV park.

Heavy rain in West Texas floats some travel trailers, mobile home from RV park, nobody hurt

Heavy rain in West Texas floats some travel trailers away

Associated Press | Oct 22, 2015 8:46 PM CDT

 

DALLAS (AP) — Heavy rain in West Texas on Thursday led to flooding that floated several travel trailers and a double-wide mobile home away from an RV park.

 

Amber Edwards looks at the mud and water that covered the floor of her home in the 2500 block of North Tom Green Avenue in Odessa, Texas Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, following the overnight storm. Edwards...   (Associated Press) 

 

Central El Paso resident Abraham Silva sweeps hail from his front patio after a storm Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 21, 2015, in El Paso, Texas. (Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP)   (Associated Press)

Upton County Sheriff Dan Brown said nobody was in the trailers during the flooding in Rankin, 60 miles south of Odessa. The occupants safely evacuated.

A hailstorm with the same slow-moving system blanketed parts of El Paso on Wednesday. The rain is expected to increase in intensity Friday and Saturday as Hurricane Patricia in the eastern Pacific Ocean makes landfall Friday near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and moves north toward Texas.

Odessa Emergency Management said crews there on Thursday conducted about 30 swift-water rescues from stranded vehicles and flooded structures.

Read More Here

2,000 cubic metres of rock fell and caused an avalanche in the Swiss Alps. Hamlet below had been evacuated

Pictured: The incredible moment a massive section of mountain breaks off and plummets 1,000 feet, destroying the forest below

• The footage was captured by a geologist who just happened to be filming
• 2,000 cubic metres of rock fell and caused an avalanche on the mountain
• Major movement was detected prior to rockfall and hamlet was evacuated
• Rockfall tore a path through trees and the noise echoed around the valley

By Jake Polden For Mailonline

Published: 07:53 EST, 23 October 2015 | Updated: 13:14 EST, 23 October 2015

This is the incredible moment a huge piece of rock broke free from the side of a mountain and plummeted 1,000 feet in Switzerland.

The incredible footage was captured by a geologist who just happened to be filming when the rock fall occurred on a mountain in the Swiss Alps.

According to local reports the 2,000 cubic metres of solid rock that fell caused an avalanche on the mountain of Mel de la Niva, near Evolene.

The incredible footage was captured by a geologist who just happened to be filming when the rock fell

2,000 cubic metres of solid rock that fell caused an avalanche on the mountain of Mel de la Niva

Geologists studying the mountain had noted geological activity prior to the incident and the site had been under surveillance since 2013, reported Le Nouvelliste.

The noise from the rockfall was said to have echoed around the valley, as the debris rained down on the mountain, tearing a path through the trees

Major movements were detected last week and the hamlet of Arbey and a road below the mountain had been evacuated and shut the day before.

Read More Here

Unseasonal Snowfall Brings Winter in October in Parts of Kashmir

 

 

 

Unseasonal Snowfall Brings Winter in October in Parts of Kashmir

Written by Nazir Masoodi | Updated: October 20, 2015 23:02 IST

Met department officials say they have no record of heavy snowfall in the Valley during the month of October

Srinagar:  Even though it's the middle of autumn, in parts of Kashmir it seems like winter. Cold temperatures have brought unseasonal snowfall at higher reaches of the valley.

For last two days Mughal Road that connects Kashmir valley with Pirpanjal region has remained closed and hundreds of trucks were stranded along the key passage.

At an altitude of 11,000 feet, Peer Ki Gali, the highest spot on Mughal Road has seen about two feet of snowfall in last 48 hours. But as the weather improved today and sun came out, officials increased their efforts to clear the road.

 

"Snow clearance machines are at work since yesterday and road will be fully functional today. We have already cleared over 500 trucks yesterday evening," said Nisar Ahmad, an engineer at Mughal Road.

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Some experts warn of the potential for unrest due to El Niño this winter.

Discovery News

El Nino May Bring Civil Unrest This Winter

 

Oct 22, 2015 09:50 AM ET // by Emily Sohn

 

When an unusually powerful El Niño struck in 1997, civil conflicts erupted across the tropics, from Sudan to Peru -- as floods, droughts and fires devastated crops, fisheries and livelihoods.
It wasn’t an isolated case, suggests growing evidence that links El Niño’s extreme weather with a spike in violent conflicts in tropical regions. As one of the strongest El Niño events in recorded history gains steam this fall, some experts are warning of the potential for more unrest to come – and the urgent need to take preventive action.

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It's an El Nino Year, So ... What's an El Nino?

Some fairly nutty and violent weather can occur during El Nino years.

DCI

“Half the world’s population is exposed to a higher risk of violence this year,” says Solomon Hsiang, professor of public policy at Berkeley. “Now that we know what to expect, we shouldn’t necessarily sit back and watch sparks fly. There are a lot of things we can do.”

Civilizations That Withered in Drought

Collapses of entire civilizations have been linked to climate shifts, with examples that go back centuries. The Little Ice Age in the mid-1600s, for example, has been blamed for widespread wars and political crises that occurred around much of the world at the time.

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